


Deus Ex Machina

by Finduilas



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fear of Death, Feels, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, nobody dies!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finduilas/pseuds/Finduilas
Summary: “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”Steve and Tony are stuck on a Quinjet that is slowly losing altitude, after an enemy blasted them with an EMP that took out the jet and Tony’s armour.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 247





	Deus Ex Machina

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the number prompt meme on Tumblr, for the prompt: “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”
> 
> Don’t look too carefully at the technicalities, they won’t make sense. This is just an excuse for angst and feels. 
> 
> Thank you to Gemma for the Beta, and to Morgan for the prompt.

Tony curses as he taps on his armour bracelet,  _ hard _ . It still doesn’t respond in any way, the armour lying motionless beside him on the floor of the jet, exactly as it’s been since the blast took out its power, and that of the Quinjet. He pushes down on the bracelet a few more times, regardless, with the same fruitless result. 

“Fuck!” Tony bites out, his heart rate spiking. They’re doomed, and he knows it. 

He looks over at Steve to start ranting, but swallows his words when he catches a glimpse of Steve’s pale face, staring out the window of the cockpit, over the vast ocean beneath them. His shoulders are tense, his jaw clenched, and he looks like he’s about to be sick. 

Then it clicks somewhere inside Tony’s brain. This is the second time in his life that Steve is trapped in an airplane that’s about to go down in the water, with no way of escaping. Except… 

“You can jump,” Tony says, determined, the tension almost leaving his body at the realization that Steve might make it out alive. 

Steve’s head snaps over at him, eyes narrowing. 

“You can jump,” Tony repeats, hands motioning next to him, to the shield, “You can take the shield, it’ll protect you from the impact, and the serum will take care of the rest. The distress signal went out, someone will come looking for us. All you have to do is keep your head above water until they get here.” 

They managed to send out a signal to the rest of the team before the Quinjet’s tech went all haywire and unresponsive to their commands, so Tony is confident that they’re on their way. He’s also confident that the jet’s losing altitude at a speed that will render it impossible for the team to get here before it crashes into the ocean. Tony’s suit is dead weight on the floor beside him, useless for a safe escape. He doesn’t even have the soothing sound of JARVIS’ voice to keep him company until the end. It’s just him and Steve. But Steve can make it out alive, Tony is sure. 

“Tony…” Steve looks at him with horrified eyes. 

“Maybe wait just a little bit longer,” Tony says, pacing around in the confined space, making calculations in his head, “Until the jet is closer to the water and the jump will be less high. It’ll increase your chances of - ” 

“ _ Tony! _ ” Steve cuts him off, turning his body completely away from the cockpit now, and towards Tony. “I am not leaving you here.” 

“I can’t jump,” Tony shakes his head, “The surface of the water from this height will be like hitting concrete. And if I wait until it isn’t, the crash of the plane will be too close and the water will swallow me whole anyway. But your body can withst- ”

“Not an option,” Steve says, a curt shake of his head, his face still pale. 

“Steve, this is…” Tony sighs, looking around the jet, “This is your worst nightmare relived. I can’t even imagine…” 

“Not. An option,” Steve says again, taking a step towards Tony and placing his hand on Tony’s upper arm in a comforting manner. Or as comforting as it can be, given the circumstances anyway. 

“I can’t fix the plane,” Tony says, defeated, because he needs Steve to understand that this is his only chance. “Or the armour.” 

“I know,” Steve says, his shoulders slumping a bit, like he’s accepting their fate and it’s taking some of the panic away. He’s visibly recomposing himself and Tony would be impressed if it wasn’t pretty much a constant feeling when he’s around Steve; he always impresses Tony, no matter how much Tony tries to act like he doesn’t. 

It’s not that Tony doesn’t appreciate what Steve is trying to do, because he really does. The thought of dying alone here in this jet is all but paralyzing Tony with fear, but Steve has a chance of making it out, and he can’t give that up. Especially not for Tony. Why would he even want to? It’s frustrating to Tony, how Steve can’t be selfish just for one tiny second, even when his life depends on it. 

“Can’t you just stop being the altruistic superhero for once and jump?” Tony asks with a sigh, because he knows that this is his new mission. He can’t get them both out safely, but Steve’s life is the priority now. In a way, Tony thinks it’s always been. “To save your own life?” Tony asks. 

“This isn’t about being a superhero, Tony,” Steve argues, like he can’t believe that’s what Tony is thinking, “You can’t expect me to just leave you here, knowing you won’t make it out.” 

“I’m dead anyway!” Tony reasons, and he feels like there should be more panic in those words but maybe that’s just the way it is when the end is near and he doesn’t have much time to do one last decent thing in his life. “Whether you stay here or not, there’s nothing you can do for me. But we don’t both have to die, Steve. So why on earth wouldn’t you take that chance?” 

Deep down Tony knows it’s not just a matter of doing one last decent thing. It’s about saving Steve’s life, because he  _ loves _ Steve dammit, and can it even be called selfish of him if Tony knows he’s dying regardless? 

“We’re not having this discussion,” Steve says, shaking his head determined, “We find another way or we don’t. But I’m not leaving without you.” 

Tony huffs out a breath in frustration as he starts looking around the jet. There’s no way he can open the platform and push Steve out without Steve realizing what he’s doing and stopping him. Manually opening the platform will always lose him the element of surprise, and Steve is too strong to forcefully manhandle out of the plane. Tony’s only option is some kind of ruse, but… 

“Don’t even think about it, Tony,” Steve says, and when Tony’s head snaps back towards Steve, he’s surprised to see a small woeful smile tugging at his lips. When Tony frowns at him, Steve says, “You’re not pushing me out, or pulling me out, or whatever it is you’re planning on doing to save me.” 

Tony sighs, ducking his head as he rubs his fingers into his eyes. “I just don’t understand, Steve,” Tony says, his heart filling with sadness over this thing he’ll never have with Steve. Maybe if things had been different? Maybe if Tony had known what was coming, maybe he would’ve been less scared and told Steve how he felt? 

But right now they are slowly but steadily running out of time. 

“If roles were reversed, I know I would want to do exactly what you’re trying to do,” Steve says, glancing over at the water out of the cockpit window once more before sliding down to the floor, his back leaning against the plate of the metallic bench. “And I don’t know,” Steve says, directing a sad smile at the floor, “Maybe you would jump, I would hope you would. But I can’t.” 

There’s a sharp pang of hope in Tony’s heart, even though he doesn’t know what he could still be hoping for right now, but he makes his way over to Steve and sits down on the floor next to him, his knee purposefully bumping against Steve’s leg. 

“I wouldn’t,” Tony says, honestly, because he knows there’s no way on earth he could turn away from Steve in a moment like that. 

Tony pushes his fingers against his temples, then slides them down the sides of his face. He exhales sharply and says, “ _ Fuck _ .” 

“Hey,” Steve says, reaching out to take Tony’s hand in his, slotting their fingers together like a perfect match, “I am with you, okay? Always.” Steve’s other hand closes over their joined ones, and Tony’s eyes sting as he closes them and leans his head against Steve’s collarbone. Steve is warm and his touch is calming, and Tony wonders if he can really wish for anything more in their final moments. 

“Me too…” Tony whispers, but he knows Steve hears it, and he reaches out his free hand to the tangled mess of fingers and rubs his thumb over the back of one of Steve’s hands. “I wish…” He doesn’t even know what he wishes for. There is so much to say and so little time. He feels Steve’s mouth drop a kiss on the top of his head, and then Steve mumbles in his hair, “I know.” 

Maybe, Tony thinks, in another lifetime, in another universe, they will get another chance? 

He’s not sure how much longer they have left before the Quinjet dives into the water and he certainly isn’t getting up and leaving the cocoon of Steve’s warmth to go and check. Instead he lifts up his head to find Steve’s face close, eyes red with unshed tears staring back at his. 

Tony doesn’t know who closes the last inch but their lips are touching, warm and comforting, their bodies huddled together and Tony thinks that if it all has to end here anyway, maybe this isn’t so bad. 

There’s a loud noise, almost like thunder, and the whole jet rattles and Tony thinks this is it, they’re hitting the water, and Steve’s arm curls around Tony protectively in a last desperate move to shield him from harm. There’s a sudden gust of wind blowing through the jet and the sound wasn’t them hitting the water after all, but the door of the jet being ripped off its hinges, and the grey armour of War Machine hovering into view. 

Tony can hardly believe his eyes, a manic laugh escaping from somewhere deep down in his throat, his hand still clutching Steve’s like a lifeline. 

“You guys ready to get out of here?” The metallic voice of War Machine sounds out over the weeping of the wind. 

Steve is pulling Tony up, his fingers never loosening their grip on Tony’s, and Tony is so elated, he can’t help but keep laughing out, “ _ Rhodey Ex Machina _ .” 

*** 

_ Fin _


End file.
